What to Do When You or a Loved One Receives a Terminal Diagnosis

Created by: Michelle Luszczewski LCSW, LCADC on

What to Do When You or a Loved One Receives a Terminal Diagnosis Created by: Michelle Luszczewski LCSW, LCADC on Monday, August 22, 2025

  1. Feel your feelings. It’s okay for you or your loved one to grieve or feel anxious or fearful.
  2. Contact an Estate Lawyer or Elder Law Attorney to assist you with the following:
    • Living Will
    • Last Will and Testament
      • Executor: The person who will ensure the wishes outlined in your will are carried out.
      • Beneficiaries: The person or persons who will receive your assets.
      • Personal Property: Any assets you want to be given to your beneficiaries.
      • Debts and Expenses: A description of how final expenses will be handled.
      • Any Special Instructions: Additional instructions, such as funeral preferences or special care for pets.
    • Living Trust
    • Financial Power of Attorney – This person handles your legal and financial affairs.
    • Health Care Power of Attorney – This person will make your medical care decisions when you are no longer able to do so on your own.
    • Letter of Competency – This letter is written by your doctor and can attest to your mental capacity at the time your will or other legal documents are written. This can help prevent family disputes over your estate documents.
    • DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) Order – This document declares your wishes not to be resuscitated should your heart stop and you are unable to breathe on your own.
    • HIPAA Release – If you want to include your spouse, children, etc., in your care or allow them to have access to your medical documents, you will need to complete a HIPAA release. Alternatively, your Health Care Power of Attorney may complete one if you are deemed incapacitated.
  3. Discuss your wishes with your Health Care Power of Attorney. Advance directives in your living will explain how you want your medical treatment to proceed when you are dying or unconscious. The “Five Wishes” document may be helpful in guiding your decisions.
  4. Update your financial documents and beneficiaries.
  5. Update bank accounts if needed with beneficiaries or a Power of Attorney.
  6. Discuss palliative care and hospice options.
  7. Organize important legal documents:
    • Adoption papers
    • Veteran’s discharge papers
    • Prenuptial agreement
    • Marriage certificate
    • Divorce decrees
    • Death certificate of a spouse
    • Citizenship papers (if not born in the U.S.)
  8. Organize information to access accounts:
    • Inventory of assets with account numbers and passwords, including safe deposit boxes
    • Digital assets and passwords
    • Access to your computer
    • A list of important contacts for accounts
    • Receipts for funeral arrangements (if already made)
    • Obituary and service wishes
  9. Plan finances for potential healthcare costs and future expenses.
  10. Preplan funeral arrangements to alleviate stress on loved ones and ensure your service follows your wishes.
  11. Consider joining a support group or attending therapy. While your loved one will be the one living through the diagnosis, you are also experiencing it—just in a different way. It’s okay to have a safe space to share your feelings and receive support.

Received a diagnosis or have a love one that received a terminal diagnosis and looking for support? Schedule an appointment with Michelle by calling (702) 527-8362 or by emailing evokeinsighttherapy@gmail.com